If there's anyone in this world that knows what Joe Jacoby brought to the NFL, the Washington Redskins and its fans in the 13 years he was with the team, it's former Redskins general manager Charley Casserly.
Casserly – who's now an NFL Network analyst – was a scout with the Redskins in 1981 when Jacoby came on as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Louisville. Casserly and Jacoby went on to make some beautiful music together, winning three Super Bowl titles in their time in Washington.
Last Wednesday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 94 modern-era nominees for the Class of 2017, and Jacoby was one of 14 offensive linemen on the list. Jacoby was a finalist for the Class of 2016, but just missed induction.
With all that being said, the question once again has to be put out there: will this finally be Jacoby's turn to be enshrined in Canton, Ohio?
Casserly joined the Talk of Fame Network on their latest podcast, and said it's "absolutely" time for Jacoby to don the gold jacket and get his bust created.
"No question in my mind," Casserly said. "He [Jacoby] was a dominant left tackle in the toughest division in football. Most left tackles can't run block; he could run block. The guy was so big and so long with his arms that he was tough to get around. Plus, this guy ended up starting at more than one position during our championship run. And that's hard to do."
The list of Jacoby's accolades is pretty extensive. The Super Bowl titles were already mentioned, but alongside those championships, Jacoby was a four-time Pro Bowler, a two-time AP first-team All-Pro, he was named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team and he was named one of the 70 Greatest Redskins.
The panel wanted Casserly to explain why a talent the likes of Jacoby flew under every team's radar except Washington's.
"It's interesting because it was 12 rounds back then," Casserly said. "I was in the right place at the right time with him when I scouted him. In the spring, he wasn't a prospect. A lot of times, when a guy's not on the list, a lot of scouts won't even look at the guy.
"I came here during their last regular season game, and they had played Florida and Pittsburgh," he said. "Pittsburgh had a player named Greg Meisner, who ended up being a third-round pick. Jacoby's a left tackle. He shuts him out. The guy didn't make a play. And he was a third-round player.
Washington Redskins great Joe Jacoby was selected as a 2014 semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame! Here's a look back at his illustrious career in Washington.
Joe Jacoby (66) celebrates with his fellow offensive linemen as well as quarterback Joe Theisman after beating the New York Giants on Dec. 17,1983 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium. The Redskins won 31-22 to clinch the NFC East championship.
Washington Redskins running back John Riggins (44) runs through the hole Joe Jacoby (66) cleared against the Minnesota Vikings at RFK Stadium on Saturday, Jan. 15, 1983 in Washington.
Washington Redskins Joe Jacoby (66) butts heads at the line with Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Leon Seals during Super Bowl XXVI on Sunday, Jan. 27, 1992 in Minneapolis.
Joe Jacoby (66) during the pregame festivities of the 1987 Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Washington Redskins tackle Joe Jacoby (66) gets set on the line during the Redskins 30-7 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on December 20, 1981 at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California.
Offensive tackle Joe Jacoby (66) stands up Bears defensive tackle Dan Hampton during the Redskins 21-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in the 1987 NFC Divisional Playoff Game on January 10th.
Washington Redskins tackle Joe Jacoby (66) as he drops back to pass block during the Redskins 37-24 loss to the Los Angeles Raiders on October 29, 1989 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.
Washington Redskins tackle Joe Jacoby (66) looks to pick up another defender vs. the Raiders. The Redskins lost 37-24 to the Los Angeles Raiders.
Joe Jacoby (66) represents the Redskins during the NFC's 10-6 loss to the AFC in the 1987 NFL Pro Bowl played on February 1, 1987 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Jacoby wipes some sweat from his face, Jacoby was apart of the famed Hogs offensive line that was the foundation of the Redskins success during the 80s and 90s.
Joe Jacoby (66) gets ready to protect quarterback Joe Theisman, Jacoby played 12 seasons for the Redskins and has made it to the 25 member semifinalist list for the Hall of Fame.
Offensive tackle Joe Jacoby (66) squares off with a Cowboys defensive lineman at Texas Stadium.
Redskins tackle Joe Jacoby (66) takes on Hall of Fame defensive lineman Reggie White of the Philadelphia Eagles.
"Florida had a guy named [David] Galloway, who was a first-round rated player. He shuts him out. I'm thinking: 'Well, he's shutting these guys out. How's he doing it?' He was so big and so long, and that's when you could start using your arms. If you could stay on your feet and you had balance and long arms and size, you could play offensive line."
Here's a bit of trivia that some Redskins fans might not know: then-head coach Joe Gibbs actually thought Jacoby was a defensive lineman, not an offensive tackle, as Casserly explained to the panel.
"We drafted five offensive linemen, and we didn't draft him," Casserly said. "We go to sign him as a free agent, and Gibbs thought he was a defensive lineman and recruited him as a defensive lineman. You know the speech when a head coach is selling you on the team? Joe [Jacoby] was afraid to tell him he was an offensive lineman."
Casserly went on to tell the panel that the team was very close to losing Jacoby shortly thereafter, due to Gibbs' unhappiness with the whole situation.
"So when we tell him we got him signed, Gibbs goes, 'That's great. We need another defensive lineman.' [And we say], 'No Joe, he's an offensive lineman.' [And Joe says], 'Can we get out of it?' 'No, we can't get out of it.'"
Lucky for the Redskins and their fans that Jacoby stuck around, or fortunes might have been different without him.
"I had been recruiting the guy all spring, trying to get the guy, and [former offensive line coach Joe] Bugel's recruiting him," Casserly said. "And sometimes it's turns around as there are other people we want to draft, and we get that. But that's how he went undrafted. He finished the season strong when people wrote him off early."
